Every One of Us on a Mission
by Upstairs.Brain
Summary: Companions to "In All Honesty".
1. Defended

"Diamond? What kind of name is that?" The bigger boy yelled at him. James stood there, staring at his feet, not saying anything. Hockey practice had ended five minutes ago, and the eleven-year-old was waiting outside for his dad to come pick him up. It was his first day of pee-wee hockey, and he had no friends, and a few too many not-friends.

The brunette pulled out his lucky comb and ran it through his hair a few times, eyes never leaving the canvas of his Converse All-Stars.

"Hey, pretty boy!" the bully called, trying to get James to look up at him. "What? Are you afraid? Are you scared?" He taunted after James continued to look at his shoes. "Are you chicken?" The boy and his jerk friends started making chicken noises.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" At this, James looked up to see what was going on. A tall blonde-haired boy had walked up, closely followed by a shorter brunette and an even shorter Latino boy. James recognized the blonde as Kendall Knight, the team captain.

"Oh, yeah? You gonna make me?" The bully taunted, his buddies laughing. At this, Kendall launched himself at the boy, fists flying. The bully's friends jumped on Kendall, only to be pulled off by the boys that had been standing with him. Before James could even process what was happening, Kendall and his friends were laughing as the bully and his friends ran off crying, holding an assortment of bloodied and bruised body parts. Kendall and the other boys turned around to face James, who was rooted to his spot outside the doors of the hockey rink. The four boys stared at each other for a while before James pointed out the bluntly obvious to Kendall.

"You could get demoted from captain for this."

Kendall's eyes got really wide for a second, as if suddenly realizing the consequences to his actions, and then he smiled. "No, I won't. I get in enough fights that coach knows that demoting me is only going to hurt the team. Besides, Carlos and Logan can vouch for me: it was for a perfectly good reason." The two boys standing on either side of Kendall nodded. James then remembered that the brunette was Logan Mitchell, the left wing, and the Latino was Carlos Garcia, the goalie.

"A perfectly good reason?" James was confused. How was defending him a perfectly good reason? His dad always made it perfectly clear that he was not worthy of anything.

"Yeah, I'm sick and tired of those guys picking on the new kids. You were just kind of…what's the phrase I'm looking for?" Kendall asked, snapping his fingers, searching for the right words.

"The straw that broke the camel's back?" Logan offered. Kendall nodded.

"Yeah! Thanks, Logan." The shorter boy shrugged.

"Oh, well…thanks." James turned to take one last look at the road. When he realized that his dad had probably forgotten about hockey practice (and probably didn't care), he sighed. "Well, it looks like I have to walk home, so I should get going." As he turned in the direction of his house, a red minivan pulled up and honked.

"Wait!" Kendall called. James turned back to face the blonde. "My mom could drive you home," he offered.

James smiled and nodded, following Kendall, Carlos, and Logan to the minivan.

On the ride home, the four boys talked about hockey. Kendall's father played for the Minnesota Wild, and Kendall wanted to be just like him when he grew up

As Mrs. Knight pulled out of his driveway, James waved goodbye to his new friends. He smiled to himself, glad that he had found friends who would do anything for him.

**&&BTR&&**

**You know, I think I liked this one. I wasn't so sure when I started it, but I'm pretty sure that the ending is growing on me.**

**This is the start of three (maybe more, if you guys want) little looks into the lives of the boys before Big Time Audition. The first three will be tags to my one-shot "In All Honesty". They're all going to be somewhat James-centric, but who knows what will come out? Haha. I hope that you like them!**

**XOXO UB**

**p.s. I don't own BTR…sadly. Also, the idea for Kendall's dad to play hockey came from the story "Minnesota Wild" by Clarry. If you haven't read it, you really should. It's so amazing. I love it!**


	2. Perfect

James's father made it a well-known fact in the Diamond household that James was a worthless waste of space. Whenever he got the chance, Bud Diamond reminded his son that it was his fault that his mother left.

Bud was very strict on a ten o'clock curfew. If James was a minute late, he'd get yelled at until the young boy finally ran to his bedroom and cried himself to sleep.

When he was twelve, James's father hit him for the first time. James had been at Kendall's house, playing Halo with the blonde, along with Carlos and Logan. When James finally looked at the clock, he noticed that it was midnight, and his face paled.

"Guys, I need to go," he told the other boys, his voice shaking slightly.

"Kendall looked up from the game he was beating Carlos in. "Now? Can't you stay for another game? My mom will drive you when she gets home from her shift."

"No, Kendall. I have to go now." As he said this, James pulled on his coat and headed for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

When he reached his house, James slipped through his front door as quietly as possible, silently praying that his father had gone to bed, or was passed out drunk. But his dad was sitting at the dining room table with a beer, waiting for him.

"Where the hell have you been?" Bud asked, taking a swig of his beer.

"Kendall's," James said softly.

"Do you know how long I've been sitting here?"

"Two hours," James mumbled.

"How long?" Bud said, his voice rising as he stood up.

"Two hours," James said a little louder, flinching away as Bud stepped closer.

"That's right. Two damn hours. I thought I had made it clear that you were to be home no later than ten!" Bud then slapped James across the face. The tall brunette whimpered. His father just stalked off to the couch and turned on ESPN.

James stood there in shock for a second, threatening tears stinging in his eyes and clouding his vision. He blinked a couple times and shook his head to clear his thoughts, took one last look at his father, and bolted out the door and towards Kendall's house.

Kendall opened his door to James's knock. The second that he looked at his friend, the hockey-head knew something was wrong. He ushered James into his house and set him down on the couch between Carlos and Logan. For a while, the four boys sat in silence, waiting for James to talk. After ten minutes had passed, Carlos was getting restless.

"James, buddy, what happened?" he asked gently. Logan smacked his arm and Kendall shot him a glare.

James took in a shuddering breath. "My dad has a really strict curfew. When I'm late, I get yelled at. I was two hours late tonight, and he…he hit me." James whispered the last three words, and then promptly started sobbing. Carlos wrapped his arms around his friend, rubbing his hand up and down James's arm trying to soothe him. Logan soon pulled both of them into a hug, and then Kendall joined in. The four stayed like that until Mrs. Knight got home from her shift at the diner. When James heard her car in the driveway, he immediately sobered up, wiping his eyes in an attempt to destroy all the evidence of his breakdown. The Diamond boy then stood up, gave a reassuring smile to his friends, and walked back home.

(Page Break!)

James's father made it a well-known fact in the Diamond household that James was a worthless waste of space. Everyday, James struggled to prove him wrong. He had perfect hair, perfect skin (Well, the parts that weren't covered in make-up to hide the bruises was perfect), perfect smile. And even though he had a nowhere-near-perfect father, he had perfect friends.

**&&&BTR&&&**

**Not sure I like the ending on this one…hmmm…**

**I feel really bad for James now…don't worry, the next one is happy! Haha. This one is dedicated to ashleyjordan. Her reviews last night put the biggest smile on my face! Thank you so much! And thank you to everyone else who reviewed and/or story alerted me, it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.**

**Hey, if you guys have any ideas for more, I would love to hear them! After this next one, I'm kind of floundering for ideas, so your input is greatly welcomed!**

**Um…check out the new chapter of Confluence tomorrow, 'I like the way you…'.**

**Thanks again!**

**XOXO UB**


	3. Support

When the boys were in seventh grade, James joined the school choir. Kendall, Carlos, and Logan all made fun of him (in that joking way that friends do), but James was beyond excited. It was his favourite (and last) class of the day. When auditions for solos came, James practiced at home until his dad told him to shut his freaking trap. When that happened, James walked over to Carlos's house. Mrs. Garcia loved to hear James sing, and sometimes Carlos would join in.

On the day of auditions, James had more energy than Carlos. The brunette hummed his audition piece the entire day. It got to the point where Kendall was ready to strangle the taller boy (He didn't for the sole reason of knowing that James was just nervous-Kendall got the same way at hockey try-outs). James, of course, nailed the audition and became the youngest person in their school's history to get a solo.

When the big night came, James went over to Kendall's house to get ready. He showered and put Cuda Massive Hold into his hair, brushed his teeth until they shined, and pulled on his lucky white v-neck and black vest with some jeans. He smiled for all the pictures that Mrs. Knight insisted on taking. At a quarter to six, Mrs. Knight, Katie, Kendall, Carlos, Logan, and James piled into the Knight minivan and left for the school.

James's nerves finally caught up with him while he waited to head onstage with the rest of the choir. His stomach had butterflies that felt like they were the size of jets. James tried his best to swallow the feeling, but he had no one there to reassure him that he was going to be the best.

When the curtain rose and the song started playing, James noticed his three best friends in the front row. Logan's eyes met his and the younger boy flashed him a thumbs-up. When it came time for James's solo, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and belted out every word, every note, just as he had practiced in Carlos's kitchen while Mrs. Garcia made dinner. As he finished, James opened his eyes to see Kendall, Carlos, and Logan beaming at him. They cheered, and James realized that he had the best support that anyone could ever ask for.

**&&&BTR&&&**

**Hmm…definitely didn't write this one to my full potential…really wasn't feeling this one.**

**Alrighty. Well, now that this one is done, I'm pretty much out of ideas, so please tell me anything! Even if it's just a word that you want me to write for, I will totally do it!**

**This one's for fall into your sunlight. I loved her reviews! Thank you so much! And thanks to everyone else who reviews, or story alerts, or favourites me. It really means so much to me that people actually like things that I write in my spare time.**

**XOXO UB**


	4. New

Kendall sighed as he looked out the car window at his new house. His dad, a professional hockey player, had just been traded to the Minnesota Wild. For Kendall, this meant a new house, a new school, a new hockey team, and (hopefully) new friends. Sometimes, he hated his dad's job.

Kendall's mom knocked on his window and motioned for him to get out and help unpack. The nine-year-old sighed. As he got out, his attention was grabbed by a little Latino boy next door playing by himself. The boy- clad in jeans, a hoodie, a cape, and a helmet- ran around making 'woosh'ing noises associated with flying like Superman. Kendall chuckled to himself. He used to love to play that game with his friends back in Detroit. The boy stopped when he noticed Kendall and waved excitedly. Kendall waved back tentatively, and the boy beamed. He quickly ran over to Kendall, skidding to a stop.

"Hi, I'm Carlos Garcia!" the boy stuck out his hand. Kendall shook it, smiling.

"I'm Kendall Knight."

"Cool! Do you want to play with me?" Carlos bounced up and down in anticipation for Kendall's answer.

"Kendall!" his father called.

"Be there in a second!" Kendall called in the general direction of his parents. He turned back to Carlos. "I can't right now. I have to unpack." Carlos's face fell. "But maybe later," Kendall added, hating to see the other boy look so disappointed.

"Okay!" Carlos said, bouncing back immediately. Carlos's dad then called him inside, seeing as it was starting to snow. "Coming, Papi!" He turned back around to Kendall. "Bye, Kendall! I'll see you later!" With that, the shorter boy bounced off towards his house.

Kendall shook his head in amusement.

(Page break!)

Kendall and Carlos became fast friends after that day, spending every possible moment together. They're parents got a little tired of it at first, but then it just became part of their every-day lives. Mrs. Knight or Mrs. Garcia would wake the boys up for school (depending on whose house they were at), get them dressed, and then make the two breakfast. If they were at Carlos's house, Kendall and Carlos would then say goodbye to Carlos's mom and dad. If they were at Kendall's they'd say goodbye to Kendall's mom and baby sister, Katie (except on the rare occasion that Mr. Knight was home. Then the three of them would spent a few-okay, more like ten-minutes talking hockey. Turns out Carlos was a pretty decent goalie.). They would walk to school, and then walk home after. They'd do homework (or attempt to do homework. Most of these attempts ended in indoor hockey games.) and then one of their parents would take them to hockey practice. On Saturdays, they had games in the mornings, and then were free until dinner.

It was on one of these Saturdays that Kendall and Carlos were celebrating their win from the morning by heading to the tree house that they had built with their dads in the woods. As they rounded the corner that turned onto the last street before the trees, Kendall thought he heard someone crying. He stopped Carlos, who, when he listened, heard it, too. The two looked around until they saw a small brunette sitting on his porch crying.

Carlos, being the caring child that he was, immediately ran up to the boy. "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

The boy stared at Carlos like he was some sort of alien before his chin crumpled and a whole new flood of tears came. "I-I locked myself out," he whimpered.

Kendall had walked up by that time, and had an idea. "Did you try the back door?" the blonde asked.

The boy shook his head. "I can't reach the latch on the gate to get in the back."

"Well, Carlos and I will get you back there, or my name isn't Kendall Knight," Kendall said. He held out a hand to help the boy up.

"I'm Logan," the shorter boy said after he had stood. Kendall smiled and gestured for Logan to lead the way to the gate.

It turns out that Kendall was just tall enough to reach the latch when Carlos and Logan gave him a boost. As the gate swung open, Kendall smiled triumphantly. "I told you so!" Logan smiled for the first time since the boys had met him.

"Hey, do you want to hang out with us?" Carlos asked. "We were gonna go hang out in our tree house."

Logan's smile brightened. "Sure! Thanks! Let me go call my mom and ask!" Logan ran around the back and let himself in. Carlos and Kendall waited patiently for the boy to return. "She said I could, as long as I'm careful!" The three cheered and ran off in the direction of the tree house, Kendall leading the way.

It wasn't until Logan went to the hospital with a broken wrist from falling out of the tree house did Mrs. Knight even begin to fathom what kind of mess she was getting herself into by letting Kendall be friends with these boys.

**&&BTR&&**

**I know that I said that this was going to be James-centric…yeah, I lied. I got this as a request from KendallSchmidt4Life (this one goes out to her!) and I really just kind of had to write it!**

**Haha. So, I think that it is safe to say that I have NEVER posted two chapters for a story in one night.**

**I really like this one, so I hoped that y'all did, too. Please keep the reviews and everything coming, they are so amazing to read! And please send more requests, I love doing them!**

**XOXO UB**


	5. Job

"_Kendall, I hate that I have to ask this of you, but could you please get a job?"_

These eighteen words for the second worst sentence that Kendall Knight has ever heard (The worst being "Kendall, your mother and I are getting a divorce.").

After his parents' divorce, Kendall and his mom and Katie had to cut back on some spending. For most of Kendall's life, his father had provided the money for bills and spending and whatnot. When the two adults split, the only thing Kristian Knight continued to pay for was Kendall's hockey (_Thank God for the small miracles_, Kendall always thought. He knew that they couldn't afford hockey, and he would die without it.) Krystin Knight had to get a job waitressing at the local diner.

That's how the two eldest Knights got to their current conversation.

"Kendall, I hate that I have to ask this of you, but could you please get a job?"

Kendall stared at his mother as if she had grown another head. "I'm sorry, come again?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, my waitressing job doesn't pay much, and I just had to take a second mortgage out on the house. We're a little short on money right now, Kenny," Krystin explained, using an old nick-name that Kendall had outlawed in the sixth grade.

"Mo-om! I told you to stop calling me Kenny!" The fifteen-year-old rolled his eyes.

"So you'll look for a job?" his mother asked hopefully.

Kendall sighed. "Yeah, I'll get the guys to help me in the morning."

"Thank you so much, sweetie." Ms. Knight kissed Kendall's cheek and went off to pull Katie off the computer. As Kendall collapsed onto the couch, he heard he sister's protests.

(Page break!)

"You know, I don't think that small-town Minnesota is looking to hire fifteen-year-old boys," Logan said as the two walked around down-town Hitterdal, helping Kendall try to find a job. Key word being TRY. The four had been looking for two hours, and the only thing that they had managed to accomplish was getting this month's supply of James's hair products.

Kendall sighed and kicked the sidewalk. "Man! This sucks."

"Why's your mom making you get a job anyway?" James asked his shorter friend.

"Short on money," Kendall replied. Once upon a time, Kendall had been embarrassed by his family's lack of money, especially when his friends still did things like Kendall's dad paid for all of Kendall's expenses (In their defense, they had no idea Mr. Knight was being such a dead-beat.). After the boys found out, they started doing things that Kendall could afford (which usually meant hanging out at someone's house and watching a DVD that they had all seem a million times instead of going to see the latest blockbuster.). Now, Kendall was more open about his financial situation, so as to keep his friends in the loop.

The four passed by the local "supermarket" (really it was just a well-stocked convenience store. But that's what you get for having a town of 198 people.). Logan looked up at the automatic doors. "Last resort?" Kendall nodded. "You could always work there." Logan pointed at the building in front of them as they stopped. "I hear they're always hiring."

Kendall groaned at the mere thought of working there; of pushing carts around the parking lot; of stacking shelves full of food; of learning to make perfect fruit and can pyramids. The idea of the whole thing is just revolting, but Kendall needed this job. Kendall Knight promised his mom that he would get a job, and Kendall Knight always keeps his promises (Okay, well, maybe not _always_, but that's entirely irrelevant.) So, Kendall slumped his shoulders and walked up to the automatic doors, giving his friends one last woeful look before marching in to find the manager.

(Page break!)

It turns out Logan wasn't lying. The manager, and older man, hired him on the spot, handing him a red apron. He told Kendall that he had to get all of the carts from the parking lot and bring them to the cart return in the front of the store (_Great_, Kendall thought. _Just what I've always wanted to do._). He didn't care how Kendall did it, he just wanted it done. Then the man walked away to go yell at another employee about fruit pyramids. Kendall stared after him, trying to remember if the guy had even told him his name. Kendall shrugged and turned to walk back out to the parking lot.

James, Carlos, and Logan were waiting for him when he came back out, clapping when they saw the apron. Kendall just rolled his eyes.

"So, Mr. Big Bad Job Holder," Carlos said, smiling. "What's first on the agenda? Stocking shelves? Can pyramids?"

"Cart round-up," Kendall replied flatly.

"C'mon," the Latino said. "It can't be that bad."

"Whatever." Kendall stated. The four then split up, grabbing all the carts (For such a small town, they had quite a few carts. Kendall was certain that every person in Hitterdal could have their own.). They each brought their train of carts back to the front of the parking lot where the cart return was located.

"Hey, James," Carlos called to the resident pretty-boy. "I bet I can get this cart in the return from here."

James took the bait. "No way, man. You're too far away." Carlos pushed the cart with all his force. The cart rammed into the pool display next to the return. James, Kendall, and Logan laughed.

"Yeah? I'd like to see you do better," he challenged.

James made a face at Carlos and grabbed a cart, lining it up. He shoved it and the cart hit a moving car. "Sorry!" the brunette called after the infuriated driver. Logan and Carlos laughed, making Kendall smile. Maybe getting a job wasn't so bad after all.

**&&BTR&&**

**Yay! It's finally done! I have to say…I love this one.**

**Alrighty. Well, I really hope that y'all liked it, too. And please send in your ideas! This was a suggestion from the ever-awesome ashleyjordan.**

**Xoxo, UB**


	6. Weather

Summer extended into November that year, by some miracle. Kendall remembered because he, James, Carlos, and Logan had been able to go trick-or-treating without their winter coats (the four of them had gone as The Beatles). He also remembered that winter finally arrived on the worst day of Kendall's life.

His parents had been fighting even more than usual. Normally, they only fought when Mr. Knight was home. By October, they were fighting over the phone when the Wild played away games and Kristian was in another town, another state.

Thirteen-year-old Kendall heard all of it. All of the accusations from his mother, all of the excuses from his father. Kendall didn't want to believe any of it. He didn't want to even consider that his dad-his then-hero- was with other women while he was gone, didn't want his father to be the reason that his parents' marriage was falling apart.

On November 9th, it finally reached a breaking point. Kendall had been playing street hockey with Logan and James and Carlos in front of his and Carlos's houses when the four heard shouting, a crash, and a bloodcurdling scream. Kendall took off before any of the other boys could process what they had heard.

Kendall threw open his front door, and was met with the sight of his parents' wedding picture smashed, the frame shattered, Mrs. Knight attempting to comfort a hysterical eight-year-old Katie, and his father running around, packing everything that belonged to him.

"Dad?" the blonde boy asked cautiously. "What's going on?"

Kristian Knight stopped packing and turned to face his son. "Kendall, your mother and I are getting a divorce."

Kendall stared at his father for a minute. Then, he slowly said, "It's because you slept with all those women, isn't it?"

Kristian's eyes flared, and he turned to his soon-to-be-ex-wife. "What the hell, Krystin? Feeding him lies so that he turns against his own father? Is that your plan?"

"I never breathed a word to him! Do you thi-"

"Shut up! Just stop it!" Kendall interjected sharply. Both adults stared at their son. "You guys are being ridiculous! Mom never told me anything! Did you honestly think that your arguments were quiet? I could hear EVERYTHING!" With that, Kendall turned and ran out the door.

James, Carlos, and Logan were standing out there waiting for him, having heard everything. Carlos ushered them into his house. Kendall made it to the couch before he collapsed, sobs wracking his body. The boys all held onto each other, much like they did when James's dad had first hit him, or when Carlos's older brother had been killed hid a head-on crash that caused the Latino to wear it ever-present helmet. The four stayed that way for hours before the doorbell ringing brought them back into reality.

Kendall really had no idea what was going on. His brain wasn't working. It was stuck on repeat, playing a single sentence again and again.

_Kendall, your mother and I are getting a divorce...Your mother and I are getting a divorce...Getting a divorce...A divorce...Divorce._

Kendall vaguely remembers Mrs. Garcia telling him that his mother was there, and his friends giving him hugs before he left with her. He sort of remembers his dad saying good-bye.

What Kendall remembers like it happened yesterday is the snow that fell as his father got in his car and drove away. The first snow of the year, fresh and new. He should have been celebrating. He should have been counting down the games until his team had regional play-offs for hockey. He should have been down at the pond with James and Carlos and Logan, checking to see if it was frozen enough to skate on, even though they knew it wasn't.

But he wasn't. He was standing in his driveway, watching his use-to-be hero drive away, never to look back.

His eyes glanced toward the sky, at the falling snow, and one thought crossed his mind: "The weather here sucks."

**&&&BTR&&&**

**Wow. I cannot honestly say that I was planning on it to be this intense.**

**I've been wanting to write this one for a while, but I just couldn't find the inspiration. But after a conversation with my mom, and with the way the weather has been here in Colorado, and the weird dream I had last night, it kind of slapped me in the face.**

**So, I don't know if you guys have noticed it, but I've seen other people put up playlists of songs that help them with chapters, or something to that extent. So I'm going to do that with this one, and if you like it, tell me, and I'll keep doing it. And if you don't like it, tell me, and I won't do it anymore.**

**For this one, the main four songs that really helped me set the mood were:**

**'Time Wastin' by Heffron Drive**

**'Til I Forget About You' by Big Time Rush**

**'Numb' by Linkin Park**

**'You Were Mine' by the Dixie Chicks**

**Thank you so so so much for reading!**

**Xoxo, UB**


	7. Memories

Their sophomore year of high school, the boys did a speech unit in English class at the end of the first semester. One of the speeches that they had to give was a three-minute one about childhood memories.

After getting the assignment, Kendall announced that he was going to talk about his first Minnesota Wild game, Logan was going to do the first operation that his mother, a brain surgeon, let him watch. James decided to do the first time he sang in public. The three turned to Carlos expectantly, only to see the normally bouncy Latino boy with his head down, staring off into space.

"Carlitos?" Kendall asked. "You okay, buddy?" He reached out and touched his friend's arm.

"Huh?" Carlos said, snapping out of his daze. "Yeah, I'm find, Kendall." Before Kendall could asked anymore questions, the bell signaling the end of the day rang, and Carlos grabbed stuff and left.

He didn't show up for hockey practice that night, making his friends worry. They planned to go over to his house after practice, but coach had them running plays until 9. Kendall, James, and Logan each fell asleep thinking about Carlos, and hoping that he would be alright in the morning.

The following day showed no change. Carlos didn't talk to anyone. He just sat there and did his work.

By the time seventh hour rolled around, everyone was started to worry. Kendall, James, and Logan each messed up their speeches because they were each thinking about Carlos.

When Carlos got up to give his own speech, the class was dead silent. He looked down at his notes for a second and took a deep breath.

Carlos looked around at the class and asked a seemingly simple question. "How many of you remember when I didn't wear my helmet? Any of you?" No one raised their hand. "That's what I thought.

My older brother Jose was the greatest. I bet most of you didn't know that I had an older brother. Well, I did. And he was my hero. He was the one I went to for advice, the one that thought me to play hockey. He's the one that gave me my helmet. I had taken a pretty hard hit to the head, and he put it on my head and said, 'Come on, Carlos! You gotta protect that noggin of yours! Otherwise, you'll lose all that creativity you've got.'" Carlos chuckled a little at the memory. "My brother died three days later in a head-on collision with a semi. I don't remember the days following, they were all kind of a blur to me." Carlos took off his helmet and stared at it for a second. "'_You gotta protect that noggin of yours. Otherwise, you'll lose all that creativity you've got._'" He looked at the class. "My brother was my best friend. And even though I've got three absolutely amazing best friends, my best memories from my childhood will be those of time spent with my brother."

There was a pregnant pause as the class digested what they heard. Then, applause broke out all at once. Carlos smiled shyly and returned to seat.

After school, Kendall, James, and Logan looked for Carlos and couldn't find him. It was an unspoken agreement that their friend was more important that hockey, and ran off towards Carlos's house, ditching practice.

They knocked on the Garcias' door tentatively. Mrs. Garcia answered and wordlessly pointed up the stairs towards Carlos's room. The thee ran up as fast as they could, opening the door to reveal a sobbing Carlos. They automatically crossed the room and wrapping their arms around him, rubbing his back and murmuring nothings to him as he mourned the loss of his best friend and brother.

**&&&BTR&&&**

**Aww. Poor Carlos.**

**This one was inspired by my English class. We actually are doing a speech unit, and the prompt that the boys get was one that we had to present for today.**

**Special thanks to my English teacher for giving me the prompt, to my math teacher for not caring that I started writing this in her class, and my amazing scene partner Jose, for lending me his name.**

**And, because ashleyjordan said that she enjoyed it:**

**My playlist for this one was a little odd, because I started it in math class. So, the first half was written to my teacher talking about the Zero Product Property and Quadratic Equations. But the rest of it was written with actual music:**

**BTR's Wal-Mart Soundcheck**

**Seasons of Love-Rent**

**Missing You-Harry and Quirrell from A Very Potter Musical**

**Blackbird-Even Rachel Wood (Across the Universe)**

**My Immortal-Evanescence**

**I Will Follow You Into The Dark (Death Cab For Cutie Cover)-Chase Coy**

**Thank you so much! I should have another one up soon, plus another chapter of _Confluence_.**

**Xoxo, UB**


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